New Study Shows Top 10 States With Highest Fines For Commercial Drivers

Rosenblum Law reports Illinois has the steepest potential fines for commercial drivers – up to $2,500

Speeding was a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2020, according to the NHTSA. That same year, large trucks contributed to 10% of all fatal vehicle accidents (4,014 deaths). When you combine large trucks and speeding, it’s not surprising that serious injury or death are likely outcomes, particularly for occupants of the smaller vehicles involved. In fact, 74% of large truck accidents are attributed to crashes involving tractor-trailers. It’s not surprising then that all 50 states have specific laws against speeding by CDL drivers, though some state laws are more strict than others.

Steepest Potential Fines 

All state laws have a range of fines for speeding, and they can vary significantly. If you’re caught driving a truck over the posted speed limit in Arizona, for example, fines range anywhere from zero dollars up to $2,500. In fact, the Grand Canyon state had the broadest range in fines. Similarly, the fines in Illinois span from a mere $75 to a hefty $2,500, making it the state with the second-largest dollar range. 

For our initial ranking, we first considered the highest possible fine. If two or more states topped out at the same dollar amount (like Arizona and Illinois), we then factored in the low end of their fine ranges. Evaluated in this way, Illinois earned the top spot and Arizona ranked second.

Rounding out the top 10 for highest potential fines for a first speeding offense over 15 mph are (in order) Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Connecticut, Maryland, California, Hawaii, and Utah. The fines in Colorado and Nevada max out at $1,000, while the next three state’s may levy top potential fines of $625 (Iowa), $560 (Connecticut), and $530 (Maryland).  California, Hawaii, and Utah all top out at $500, but each have a different minimum fine amount.

Highest Low-End Fines

In addition to studying fine maximums, we also wanted to know which states have the highest minimum fines. In other words, even though a CDL driver who is speeding might not get hit with a state’s top fine, where will it cost them the most in terms of a mandatory minimum fine?

We found that 13 states have a minimum fine of over $100 for CDL drivers who exceed the speed limit. The top three are California ($230), Florida ($219), and Hawaii ($200). The states of Connecticut, Alabama, Texas, and Ohio rank 4th through 7th in this category, with minimum fines of $198, $190, $185, and $175, respectively. Speeding in both Indiana and Utah will cost a CDL driver at least $150. Completing the list of 13 are Oregon and Colorado (both $115) Tennessee ($109), and Washington ($108).

Methodology

TrafficTickets.com analyzed nationwide data for CDL drivers who were speeding 15+ mph over the limit to determine which states mete out the costliest penalties and which are more reasonable. Our experts looked at the maximum possible fines one might pay, as well as the steepest minimum fines for CDL drivers who are caught exceeding the limit by at least 15 mph.

CDL Speeding Ticket Fine Data

Ranking	State	Speeding Fine: Range	Source
1	Illinois	$75-$2,500	View Source
2	Arizona	$0-$2,500	View Source
3	Colorado	$115-$1,000	View Source
4	Nevada	$25-$1,000	View Source
5	Iowa	$25-$625	View Source
6	Connecticut	$198-$560	View Source
7	Maryland	$80-$530	View Source
8	California	$230-$500	View Source
9	Hawaii	$200-$500	View Source
10	Utah	$150-$500	View Source
11	Arkansas	$100-$500	View Source
11	Massachusetts	$100-$500	View Source
12	Kansas	$30-$500	View Source
13	Montana	$0-$500	View Source
13	Mississippi	$0-$500	View Source
14	South Carolina	$15-$445	View Source
15	Washington	$108-$426	View Source
16	North Dakota	$35-$355	View Source
17	New Hampshire	$50-$350	View Source
18	Rhode Island	$35-$335	View Source
19	Texas	$185-$334	View Source
20	Oregon	$115-$325	View Source
21	Alabama	$190-$300	View Source
22	Indiana	$150-$300	View Source
23	Wisconsin	$40-$300	View Source
24	Nebraska	$25-$300	View Source
25	Alaska	$0-$300	View Source
26	Florida	$219-$294	View Source
27	New Jersey	$100-$260	View Source
28	North Carolina	$10-$250	View Source
29	Ohio	$175-$235	View Source
30	Oklahoma	$20-$205	View Source
31	Delaware	$100-$200	View Source
32	South Dakota	$85-$200	View Source
33	New York	$60-$200	View Source
34	New Mexico	$25-$200	View Source
35	Maine	$0-$200	View Source
35	Georgia	$0-$200	View Source
35	Wyoming	$0-$200	View Source
36	Virginia	$92-$183	View Source
37	Vermont	$0-$175	View Source
38	Minnesota	$0-$170	View Source
39	Michigan	$90-$155	View Source
40	Tennessee	$109-$114	View Source
41	Idaho	$47-$102	View Source
42	Kentucky	$20-$100	View Source
42	Louisiana	$20-$100	View Source
43	West Virginia	$0-$100	View Source
44	Missouri	$73-$98	View Source
45	Pennsylvania	$35-$85	View Source

By: Adam H. Rosenblum Esq. Rosenblum Law

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